DEREK McINNES has reacted angrily to Ladbrokes' decision to open betting on him being the next SPFL manager to leave his job.
The Aberdeen manager believes the move was irresponsible and yesterday refused to pose for photographs with the manager of the month trophy Ladbrokes, the league sponsors, had awarded him for September.
The bookmakers cut the odds on McInnes leaving his job from 25/1 to 10/11 before they suspended betting on his departure following a number of bets which sparked a frenzy of comments on social media that the 44-year-old described as "rumour and innuendo".
Aberdeen were moved to issue a statement on Wednesday evening refuting suggestions that he was about to depart Pittodrie.
“It’s difficult to stop because if it wasn’t Ladbrokes it would be another company,” McInnes said.
“But Alex Smith [of the Scottish League Managers’ Association] was right to speak out on behalf of the managers because the job is difficult enough.
“You need to ask yourself what the intention was.
“What other people think is probably the same as I do, that it was baffling and unusual.
“The club shouldn’t need to put a statement out to shut people up because of rumour and internet stuff.
“For me, when the league sponsor's at the heart of it then it’s not helpful.”
“We all know the pressure comes when you don’t get results. And that it’s part and parcel of it.
“But when you are main sponsors I think you have a responsibility.
“I think they should be working with clubs and with managers to foster relationships rather than working against us.
“I was baffled by the whole thing, it was bizarre.”
Ladbrokes made their manager-of-the-month announcement a minute after yesterday’s news conference was scheduled to start but McInnes was in no mood to pose for photographers because recent results had not been good.
“We won three games out of four in September and won at Tynecastle,”
he added, “but it didn’t sit right getting it after losing to Inverness and then 5-1 to St Johnstone.”
Earlier this week, Ladbrokes omitted to inform daily newspapers that Aberdeen’s Niall McGinn had won their player-of-the-month gong for September.
It sparked hurried calls to sports desks when the Northern Ireland international was left virtually alone in the Pittodrie media room.
But last night, they were unrepentant over their decision to activate betting on McInnes’s future.
“We took a handful of bets on Wednesday,” said David MacDonald, their spokesman. “And there was a demand for prices over Derek McInnes being the next manager to leave his club.
“That prompted our trading department to suspend betting on that issue. All we’re doing is reacting to the market.
“One of the major talking points in bookmakers, in pubs and in newspapers up and down the country centres on football and the positions of managers and players and it is something our customers demand, something they ask about all the time.
“We don’t put these markets up to cause any upset whatsoever.
Customers ask us to quote prices and we’re just proving a service they want.
“It’s a hot topic.”
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